1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to output devices and configuring files for output, and in particular, to a method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for configuring and associating one or more files in the same application with multiple output devices or with multiple output device configurations.
2. Description of the Related Art
To utilize information stored on computers, users often need to output the information. For example, information may be plotted or printed on a plotter (e.g., the Designjet line of plotters manufactured by HP or the 8800 series plotters manufactured by Xerox Engineering Systems), printed on a black-and-white printer, transmitted to a fax machine using the computer's modem, emailed to another user on a computer network, etc. Each of the mechanisms utilized are referred to as output devices. In the above example, a plotter, a black-and-white printer, a modem, and a computer network are all output devices. Merely by changing an output device, the format of the same information may change. For example, one plotter may not be able to print in a certain margin space or with image quality, while another plotter can print in that margin space or with the image quality desired. As a result, the same document or file may print differently on two different printers.
Prior art computer applications only provide the ability to specify and configure a file for a single output device at any one time. Further, prior art applications require an explicit device change in order to set up and redirect the output to an alternate device. Thus, applications will not permit a user to configure one document to be plotted on one plotter and another document to be configured to plot on another plotter. Output devices cannot be specified or configured on a per document basis.
These problems may be better understood by describing applications, output devices, and the interaction between applications and output devices.
Applications
Computer software applications are and can be utilized for an infinite number of tasks. For example, some of the tasks that are performed by software applications include drawing and graphics design in two dimensional (2D) or three-dimensional (3D) space (e.g., computer aided design (CAD) software such as AutoCAD 2000 manufactured by the assignee of the present invention, AutoDesk), word processing, digital picture viewing and editing, accounting, email, time keeping and billing, internet browsing, etc. While the application controls the ability to perform the desired task, one or more drawings or files may be opened in an application where the actual work may be edited and stored. For example, in a word processing application, one or more documents may be opened for the user to edit, store, and output. In a CAD program, one or more drawings may be opened for the user to edit, store, and output.
In one or more applications, a user may define one or more layouts or views of a file. For example, in a CAD application, a user can create an image and then define various layouts or views of the image (e.g., four layouts/views of the same image, each layout/view having a different center point or scaling).
Output Devices
Output devices are used so that the user can transmit or view information. Output devices include plotters, computer monitors, printers, modems, personal digital assistants (PDAs), etc. Output devices are often connected to a computer using cables and controlled using software applications referred to as drivers. Thus, the drivers provide the ability for the computer to communicate and utilize the output device. Since each output device is different, each output device usually has a different driver to control it. For example, two different plotters usually have two different drivers to control the plotter's operations.
As a result of the differences in drivers, the format of a particular file may change depending on the output device utilized. For example, in word processing, one printer may print 60 lines per page while another printer only prints 58 lines per page. Thus, depending on the printer utilized, the same document will print up differently with more or less pages.
Further, an output device may be configured in various ways (e.g., to default print in landscape mode or to default print in portrait mode). Each configuration of the same output device can be stored, represented, and referenced in a computer (e.g., in a system list of output devices such as printers). Such representations permit a user to select an output device with a specific configuration from a list.
Interaction Between Applications and Output Devices
As described above, applications use output devices to utilize, transmit, and view information and files on a computer. In the prior art, while an application is open, the user may select a particular output device to be utilized for the application. The user can change the output device selection but the selection changes the output device for all files opened in the application. Additionally, whenever an existing file or new file is opened or created, the file's format is modified, if necessary, based on the application specified output device. Consequently, if a user opens a previously created file that the user had configured for one output device, but the application currently has another output device selected, the file's output format may change.
In many instances, a user may alter a file so that the output is in accordance with the user's specification. For example, a user may insert manual page breaks in a word processing document so that paragraphs do not split up or so that words match up with a drawing. However, if the output device is modified, the document's formatting or output will be different from what the user expected (e.g., the manual page break may fall in a different location causing only ½ or ¼ page of text in one or more spots). In another example, a user may enlarge a color drawing (in a CAD program) so that certain details can be viewed more clearly. However, if the output device (e.g., the plotter) is modified, the format or output of the drawing will be different from what the user expected (e.g., the edges of the drawing may not plot or the color may appear as black-and-white).
Thus, prior art products only allow one output device to be established at a time and require an explicit device change in order to set up and redirect the output to an alternate device. Consequently, although a user can specify a particular output device in an application, the user may still not obtain the output desired.